


Like a feather you'll fall to the ground

by Elydy138



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Assassin's Creed AU, Fluff, Light Angst, Multi, Soulmate AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:47:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24041563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elydy138/pseuds/Elydy138
Summary: Assassin's Creed AU.Shiro has been captured by the Templar Order and is forced to work in the Animus. He soon discovers that each of his ancestors have met a similar man through ages. Shiro doesn't know that man, yet he feels drawn to him, whatever the life the Animus put him through. And now Shiro has to look for this man. He doesn't know what awaits him, however he is certain of one thing : this man is his destiny.
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	Like a feather you'll fall to the ground

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is a thread I've started on Twitter, and since it was getting long, I thought I might as well post it here too!  
> I'll add more tags as the story goes on.  
> I hope you'll enjoy!  
> Don't hesitate to comment, I really love reading your thoughts and reactions!

"Nice work, Champion." Shiro huffed as he took off the helmet. He was really tempted to throw it on the ground, but he knew better than to express his frustration. So instead, he left it on the seat and jumped on his feet. Then Haggar walked to him, another machine beeping in her hand, scanning Shiro for possible damage. But like every time, Shiro was unscathed. At least physically. 

The woman smiled and nodded, looking satisfied and very pleased with the results.   
"It looks like your Champion is a natural, General Sendak. He is perfectly synchronized, and will certainly do better than any subjects so far. He will do a great work in the Animus." 

Said Captain snorted from his corner, watching the scene with an upset frown.   
"He is my best fighter, trained in my arena for months. You better not break him like you did with the others."   
"I will do my best to be careful with him." 

"Actually," someone interrupted, "I'd advice against that."   
A man wearing a researcher coat entered the room and walked calmly to the woman, without sparing a glance at Shiro or Sendak.   
"And why not, Ulaz? He is clearly resistant." 

"Because," he sighed, "you've been keeping him in there for nine hours. This is simply three times over the recommended time new subjects should be in the Animus. You are risking the mental integrity of this subject and compromising the research. Such carelessness already cost us twenty-three subjects, so I ask you to be more considerate." 

Haggar seemed to be upset by his intervention, yet still pondered his words. It took her a moment, but eventually, she gave in.   
"Alright, you do have a point. I tend to be too enthusiastic when I have good tools. Bring him back to his room."

Ulaz just nodded, and motioned to Shiro to leave with him. Before passing the door, he felt Sendak' stare on him. He was furious. But then the door closed behind them. Shiro allowed himself to sigh. "You've been reckless," Ulaz scolded him without looking at him.

"I had to, Haggar is not blind. She'll notice that I am progressing way too fast."   
"Just don't get overboard. We must keep a low profile until we get our next orders."   
"But I..."   
Ulaz turned around, his brown eyes almost turning gold. He was really pissed, Shiro thought.

"Do not act recklessly, Shiro. You won't be the only one facing consequences here. We need to stick it to the plan, and only to the plan. Am I clear?"   
"Crystal clear, sir," Shiro sighed. That earned him a sympathetic grin.   
"It won't be long now. Be patient."

Patience yields focus, Shiro reminded himself. Ulaz walked him to his contention cell, and locked the door after Shiro stepped in. Although Shiro could pick the lock easily, he knew it would be useless at the moment. So he sat on the ground, legs crossed, and closed his eyes.

He projected his mind in an astral plane. Somewhere deep inside his consciousness, hiding his heaviest secret. There, he waited, patiently, quietly. Until he heard it. A purr, a comforting presence. He smiled. "Hey, Black. I'm back."

_____________________________________

The day after, Shiro was back in the Animus, already prepared to face a past life. Haggar was settling the machine while he waited in the seat. "I'll sent you in another era. I hope you're familiar with Europe during the Renaissance?"   
"Not really."

The woman snickered.   
"You'll learn then."  
And then she proceeded to activate the Animus, and Shiro felt like he was falling in the abyss. Like those dreams where you fall without end. Except he did land. In another life. Shiro stared at a land unknown to him

Through eyes that weren't his. He still wasn't used to the sensation. He looked around for a moment, wondering where he was supposed to go. Then somehow, an urge moved him towards an abandoned building, a remote place from the city settled down the valley.

He pushed the door slowly, wood cracking from the lack of use. Maybe it wasn't a good idea, he thought. That kind of spot was only good for ambush, not a meeting. But the crumpled letter in his hand weighted heavy in his mind. If it was a trap, then someone was in a hurry to kill him. He didn't come unarmed, though, it would've been foolish to trust a complete stranger. That was what he'd thought when the door closed behind him, and finally noticed a silhouette in a corner of the room. 

"Where you followed?"

The other man was standing on the other side of the place, his face hidden under a hood. However, he felt his gaze piercing him, like a hawk watching its prey.   
"No. I know how to hide my tracks."   
But he was no easy prey, and this hawk might as well learn it quickly.

"Good."   
Then the stranger removed his hood, revealing his face. And Shiro, despite not being in control, felt very well the sharp inhale his ancestor took at the sight. A man, his hair dark like the night, and eyes purple like an amethyst. The scar on his right cheek missed the eye only by inch or so, yet didn't hinder the beauty of this man.   
"I am Silvius," the man said.   
Shiro felt the body move, to take off his own hood.   
"Alfonso."   
The man grinned, absolutely not surprised.   
"I'm actually impressed you came. I thought your family was into hiding."   
"And yet you've found us."   
"Not... me. But if it is of any comfort, you were doing a very good job at concealing yourself. We almost missed you."   
"We?"   
The stranger- Silvius winced. "Yes. Like I've told you in the letter, you are not alone."

"Alone? What do you mean?"   
"We know about the corruption in Venezia, and we know who's responsible. But we don't have many men there, or they've been captured. We could use some help."   
"What about the thieves? I've heard they've been helping a boy from Firenze."  
"We don't have the same objectives. They want the leaders dead, we want to restore peace in Venezia."   
"Peace, uh? The city might sink before that ever happen," Alfonso sneered.   
"... I am aware of what happened to your family."   
"It happened because we tried to help those people. Because we tried to open their eyes on the evil corrupting the city. And they hunt us down, killed many of us, and threw their body in a pit, as if they were cattle."   
Shiro felt the rage invade his ancestor as if it was his own. Felt it crawling its way into his heart, eating him from the inside. It was the first time he ever felt something so strongly, almost as if these emotions were his own. He wondered if that was what meant Haggar by "synchronized". But soon his attention was drew back to the memory, as Silvius moved from his spot to face him.

"Listen, I am not going to ask you to forgive them. But if we want to take back the city from the people who hurt your family, you'll have to put your feelings aside. At least for a moment."   
"And what's in it for us? We can't return to Venezia anyway."

"I know. We know that. We can help you in settling somewhere else, where you and your family can be safe."   
"Why would you do that?"   
For a moment, Silvius didn't answer, his eyes wandering. But when they fell back on Shiro-Alfonso, something dark shone in them.  
"Because we know what it means to lose everything. Your clan and mine are the same. We fight for what we believe is right."   
Alfonso stayed silent, pondering these words. Something in this Silvius was drawing him in. A strange feeling. Familiar.

Or maybe it was the honesty with which he was speaking, his conviction and determination marking his every words. Alfonso maintained eye contact with Silvius, until a sigh escaped him.   
"Fine. We'll bring you support. Just tell me where do we begin."

This was either going to be the biggest mistake he'd ever made, or the smartest decision he'd ever taken. Usually, Alfonso trusted his instincts. And right now, they were telling him that this man would be his doom. And yet, he was undoubtedly draw to him.

The Doge Mocenigo had been assassinated a few days ago, and the city was in turmoil. Alfonse slipped in easily, followed by Silvius. In an old house, left to abandon by its previous inhabitants, they met with three people, their face hidden by the same hood Silvius was wearing.

They introduced themselves to Alfonso, and Shiro looked at the scene with confusion. These people were Assassins from the Eastern Brotherhood. What was their business in Venezia? But Alfonso began to ask about their plan, and Shiro could only follow the flow.

The idea was to get rid of the Templar agents in the city. Not its core, but the hidden parts, where no one sane dared to step into. There resided the scum of the Order, those who were working the people, changing its mind and opinion from the shadows.

Shiro watched them, silent witness, as they spoke about their next move. He saw something cross Silvius' eyes as Alfonso listened to the Assassins. But he couldn't do anything. And suddenly, without any warning, he was pulled away from the memory, dragged brutally out of it.

_____________ 

When he opened his eyes, Shiro was confused and dizzy. Usually, the Animus would give him a warning before disconnecting him. But not this time. He looked around, wondering where Haggar was. He found her, typing madly on her screens.

When she finally noticed that Shiro was awake, she rushed to him and grabbed his collar.   
"WHAT HAPPENED? WHAT DID YOU DO?" she screamed, her voice high-pitched and hysterical.   
"W-what?" She was choking him.   
"WHAT HAPPENED?!" she kept yelling, her eyes shining with madness.

Suddenly, another pair of hands appeared in Shiro's vision, and pulled away the woman. He gasped for air, and coughed roughly. The helmet was removed from his head. Something wasn't right. He felt nauseous, his ears were ringing and somehow he couldn't feel his legs.

He sat up abruptly, and almost fell of the Animus' seat. But strong arms stabilized him, and a hand stayed on his shoulder to keep him grounded.   
"Shiro, can you hear me?" There was like finger snaps near his ears, and he nodded instinctively. "Okay, good. He's fine!"

Shiro recognized the voice, but did his best to hide it. He wasn't supposed to know this guard, after all.   
"What happened?" he asked instead.   
"You've been in the Animus for five hours, and somehow the memory didn't displayed as usual," the man answered him softly.

"What do you mean?" The man looked up, probably to check on whoever got the galls to handle Haggar, and then back to Shiro.   
"Something kept the computer away from the memory. She couldn't watch it at all." "  
At all?" Shiro was astonished

"Yeah. And now she won't let it go. She'll need to know what happened. You'll have to be careful, Shiro."   
Before Shiro could answer, Ulaz's voice called out the guard.   
"Thace! Bring Haggar to the medical bay, she'll need rest under surveillance."   
"Understood."

Thace lifted the now unconscious Haggar and left the room, leaving Shiro with Ulaz. Who was positively furious.   
"I told you yesterday to be careful! And now this?"   
"Ulaz, I didn't do this. I wasn't in control at all!"   
"Well, obviously someone was, but I doubt it was the Animus. And that's definitely a problem." "What was the last thing it recorded?" Ulaz went to the control panel and quickly typed on it. "Alfonso's meeting with the Assassin."   
"Silvius?" "Yes. But after that, nothing. Black screen until Haggar pulled you out."

"How is that even possible?!"   
Then Ulaz gave him the look, and Shiro shifted on the seat.   
"Right," he hummed, after clearing his throat.   
"Haggar is going to be out for a while, I'll take her place. But Shiro, I'll ask you again, be careful."  
"I... I will." "And keep your pet out of your mind for a while, or else we'll really face some problems here." Shiro nodded in answer, but his mind was already somewhere else.

____________________________________

Back in his cell, Shiro sat up on the ground and closed his eyes.

He was immediately projected into the astral plane, the deepest place in his consciousness. There, he didn't have to look around to know exactly where was the one he was looking for.   
"Show yourself, I won't chase after you this time."   
Something moved in the void, and a big black lion appeared in front of him. They stared at each other, gauging. But then the lion huffed, and Shiro let out a sigh.   
"Black, I asked you to leave me alone. You can't stay with me here, they're going to find you eventually." The feline growled defiantly, pacing around Shiro.   
"If you keep interfering with the Animus, we'll be discovered. And none of us wants to get back into a cage." Black's ears flattened on his head, and whined.   
"Exactly. So you'll have to stay out of this until we're over."   
The lion dropped on his side and let out another upset huff. Shiro could feel his emotions through the connection they shared. As the holder of the Black Orb, Shiro was the guardian of the Black Lion and the Lion was protecting him in return. Though the Lion, several millennia old, had quite the temper.

Yet Shiro was thankful. Because now he was never truly alone, for the Lion always shared a link with him. Shiro crossed his legs and watched the feline sit down as well. He turned his thoughts to the memory he saw earlier.   
"I hope I'll see him again," he whisper in the void.

It took several days for Shiro to get back into the Animus. Being forcefully pulled out of it might have caused serious brain damage. Thankfully, either Haggar didn't mess this up or Shiro was very resilient, but either way Shiro was alright. However, Ulaz, now in charge, insisted that Shiro took a break until they "figured out" what happened with the Animus that day. It just meant that Ulaz was buying them some time by erasing any suspicious remnants in the machine. So when Shiro got back into it, any trace left by Black had been wiped out.

As Shiro put the helmet on, he noticed how tense Ulaz was.   
"You okay?" Shiro asked in a breath. Ulaz nodded, then looked up, to where a hidden camera was monitoring the room. Without another word, Shiro laid down in the Animus.

"Where am I going?"   
"Same ancestor, just a few months after his meeting with Silvius."   
"Okay." Shiro wasn't excited and impatient. Not at all. He was just curious.   
Just.  
Curious.   
As the Animus began to activate, Shiro just hoped Ulaz wouldn't watch too much.

When Shiro slipped into Alfonso's consciousness, the man was in a mansion. Not the one his family used to hide, which surprised him. Alfonso was on the balcony, looking outside. Venezia could be seen in the distance, but the man was watching something else.

Someone else, in fact. Silvius was training with other Assassins in the courtyard, practicing basis tactics during combat. Silvius was obviously good with a blade, but his footwork was something to be seen as well. Alfonso imagined these legs doing very much something else and he felt the blush burning up his face.   
Not the time, he scolded himself, Not the time at all.   
But when he looked back down, the Assassins were apparently done with training and Silvius was nowhere to be seen.   
Probably left to check something, he shrugged, though he couldn't help the regretful twinge in his chest. He liked watching Silvius. While training, of course, but not only. And that got him some witty remarks from his fellows Assassins. Yet Alfonso just couldn't help himself.

And while he was wallowing in his fantasies, he didn't notice the silhouette lurking in the shadows of the room. Suddenly, two arms encircled his shoulders, and Alfonso smiled.   
"You let your guard down again," Silvius chuckled. Alfonso rolled his eyes, but didn't stop smiling.  
"You climbed through the facade again."   
"Yeah, and you didn't even notice it."   
"I was... preoccupied." His gaze had wandered on the city again, his memories flowing back. Following his stare, Silvius just hummed in answer.   
"You did what you had to do. There was nothing more for you there." Alfonso sighed, brushing the arms around him with his hands.   
"What about the artifact? I thought your people needed it."   
"As long as it's not in the Templar's hands, it's fine by us." Silvius leaned a bit more against Alfonso's back, rubbing his head against his neck.   
"Don't you have things to do today?" Alfonso huffed with a grin.   
"I'm done with my duties," Silvius replied in a breath. Alfonso hummed, thoughtful. Slowly, he took Silvius' arms off him and turned around. He held out their entwined hands and put a kiss on Silvius' palm.   
"So you can be all mine now?" he asked, his eyes burning with a storm of emotions. Silvius gasped, the words seemed to be stuck in his throat. So Alfonso smiled at him, releasing their hands.

He grabbed Silvius by his waist and lifted him up. The man was caught by surprise and barely got the reflex to grip Alfonso' shoulders. That made Alfonso laugh heartily, and it earned him a slap on the back of his head. He walked to the bed, Silvius in his arms.

At some point, Silvius began to leave a trail of kisses and bruises on Alfonso's neck. When the two men fell on the bed, Shiro wished he hadn't had to witness this. Yet he saw it coming. He felt the attraction between his ancestor and this Assassin. So somehow, he knew.

But he really didn't want to see this. And somehow, Ulaz heard his prayers, because next thing he saw when he blinked was a port. A boat was waiting there, ready to set sail. Alfonso and Silvius were standing a bit apart of the crowd. And first thing Shiro noticed, or rather, felt, was the sadness on their face.   
"Do you have to go?" Alfonso said, his voice trembling.   
"My place is there, Alfonso. With my clan."   
"You could stay... or... or I could go with you!"   
"Alfonso, we've already talked about this. You're needed here. Your family needs you now, they need a leader. You have to guide them through this."   
"But what about what I want? I never asked to be chief, never even wished for it."   
"Fonzo, I don't... I don't want this kind of life for you. You've suffered enough, you've been hurt enough..."  
While saying that, Silvius' eyes trailed off on Alfonso, where his left arm had been severed. Alfonso caught Silvius' hand, his own shaky and cold.   
"I don't want to lose you, Silvius."   
"I can't stay, and you can't leave. We can't be together anymore, Fonzo."

And with that final statement, Silvius took his hand away from Alfonso's hold. He gasped at the loss, and when Silvius brushed a kiss on his lips, he was frozen.   
"I am sorry, Alfonso. I love you, but this is how it ends." Alfonso merely blinked. Just a second.

And the next, Silvius was gone. Shiro felt it. The piercing feeling right into his heart. The pain and sorrow flew into his mind like his own, and all he could do was watch, as his ancestor stumbled towards the boat and fell. "I'm sorry," he whispered to the ghost of the past.

The memory dissolved in front of him, and he didn't fight it. When he opened his eyes again, he was in the white data mist. He heard Ulaz's voice from somewhere above him.   
"I've found something, I'm sending you there."   
"Okay," Shiro replied, his voice blank and tired. 

He blinked, and a moment later, he was in a strange room. The light was dim, a few candles scattered here and there. Books and paper sheets were discarded a bit everywhere, from the table, to the shelves and ground. Someone really made a mess of this place, Shiro thought. 

Then he noticed a silhouette, sitting on a big chair. He took him a moment to recognize Alfonso, because his face was not in the light. But his hair turned entirely white, and he didn't even look old enough for that. Shiro walked around, and knelt before his ancestor.

Then, he saw the tears. The sheer pain carving his face. He was holding a crumpled letter, holding it between trembling fingers.   
"He's gone, he's gone, he's gone," Alfonso muttered to himself.   
In his other hand, a small sphere was shinning faintly. Shiro recognized it. 

The Black Lion sphere. His parents did tell him that relic had always been connected to his family. Shiro tried to reach it, but his hand went through it.   
Thought so, he shrugged.   
"Don't..."   
Shiro bolted up, taken by surprise. He was so hypnotized by the sphere, he almost forgot about Alfonso's presence. But the man wasn't talking to him.   
"Don't leave me alone, Silvius..." he whispered.   
Then his hand let go of the letter, and Shiro could read it a bit. 

"My son Silvius.... treasured you until the end... left this world with one regret... asked for you before his last breath..."   
Shiro gasped painfully. So Silvius died before Alfonso could find him again. He looked up at his ancestor, feeling powerless. As he stood up again, something happened. The sphere shone a bit brighter, and Alfonso huffed.   
"If you find him, don't make the same mistake that I did."   
Shiro looked around, but there was no one around. Who was he talking to?   
"Don't be surprised, Takashi. I know you're here." 

Oh fuck.   
Shiro held back his breath, absolutely at loss about what to do. Was there any good reaction when your long-dead ancestor was speaking to you through a memory recreated by a machine? If so, Shiro wouldn't have mind a warning beforehand. 

Alfonso just stayed still, yet he huffed.   
"The artifact connects us through time and space. The others can feel it too."   
"What do you mean?" Shiro asked without thinking.   
"The other Lions. They are all linked. Find one and you'll find them all."   
"But... I thought Black was the only one..."   
"Five. There is five if them. Find them before the Templars do. You need to protect them, Takashi. You need to save him..."   
"Him?"   
"The Red Paladin, you have to save him. You cannot fail like we did... like I did..."   
"What do you mean?! Save who?"   
"I failed to protect Silvius... I couldn't... keep him safe..."   
His voice broke, his eyes filled with tears. But when he looked up at Shiro, he was determined. "Find him, Takashi. Find them all and finish what we started."   
Before he could ask more, Shiro was pulled out of the memory. Next thing he knew, he was back in reality, with a very troubled Ulaz watching him.   
"Thank the stars no one saw this. Your ancestor spoke to you?! Through the Animus?!?"   
"Well, apparently!" Shiro replied while throwing his hands up. He was as lost as Ulaz there. There was no previous records of something similar happening. Ulaz did some research, but nothing. Meanwhile, Shiro laid down on the Animus, wondering about Alfonso's words.

There was more Lions. All connected. How come Black never mentioned something like that before? He got lost in his thoughts, barely registered Ulaz bringing him back to his room. He tried to talk to him, but Shiro was too deep in thought to hear him. 

So he left the young man alone. Shito tried to reach out to Black, but he was nowhere to be found. True to his words, he remained outside Shiro's mind. Which for once, was very frustrating.   
"You never told me about the others!" he yelled into the void. "I thought I was the only one!" 

But Black stayed silent. Shiro swore loudly, and left the astral plane. Coming back to the cold reality of his cell, he dropped on his bed, feeling exhausted and very upset. He'd never liked having questions without answers. But it looked like no one was going to answer to him.

And the day after got somehow even worse. Having concluded Alfonso's memories, Shiro was sent into another ancestor. One from the Meiji era. There, he met a warrior sent to kill him. They fought several times, none of them yielding to the other. And though this warrior was always hiding his face, one day Shiro slashed his hood, only to reveal purple eyes.   
Again, Shiro thought.   
But this ancestor hadn't any concluding information, so they had to drop his memories. Shiro was only mildly upset. 

Then he was transferred into three other ancestors, only to cross path with a similar man every time. It was driving Shiro crazy. Every session left him more drained than the last. To the point where Ulaz had to stop him to go into the Animus. 

"This can't go on," Shiro heard Ulaz say to Thace. "At this pace he's just going to break."   
"We've learned more than enough from this place. And we can't keep on meddling with the Animus' core. They're not that stupid."   
"They are full of themselves, which is as close to stupid as they can get."   
"Ulaz, if we stay here, he won't survive. The Animus is killing him."   
Shiro heard a deep sigh, followed by a grunt.   
"I know. But we have to wait for our orders first, then we'll leave."   
Thace let out a relieved breath. "Thank you."   
"Don't thank me yet, we're not out this facility."   
"With you at the helm, it's as good as done." A chuckle, and Shiro went back to pretending to be asleep. So they might finally leave this hellish place. Shiro might finally be able to go after the other Paladin. 

By himself, if he had to. He needed to find answers, even if he had to tear land and sky apart for that. An appreciative rumble echoed in a corner of his mind. Yeah, Shiro was going to survive Abstergo and find the man who had hunted his life for generations. He was ready. 

____________________________

It happened three weeks later. Shiro got startled by the loud bang on his door, right after said door opened. Thace motioned him to move quietly, and went ahead. Shiro didn't question him and followed suit. 

They met Ulaz who was waiting at the main security room. "Starting the moment I'll turn everything off, we will have exactly twenty minutes to get out of the building. The cameras and auto-lock doors are disabled, but guards will be around." Shiro nodded. He knew what it meant. 

"Engage only if it's the last resort."   
"Understood."   
They shared a look, and Ulaz typed something in the main console. And suddenly, everything went black.   
"Let's go." 

They almost made it to the garage. Shiro almost believe he was done with this hell. But just as they reached for a car, he heard a roar so loud it made his spine shudder. He recognized it instantly. And he knew they wouldn't escape that easily.   
"Sendak." 

"Shiro, don't..." Ulaz began but Shiro walked away to stand exactly between Sendak and his teammates.   
He wouldn't be the coward that left his torturer without even a punch in the face. He owed the freaking bastard that much. So he clenched his fists and got ready to fight.

Sendak saw that and grinned madly.  
"So the dog is finally showing his teeth," he snarled, cracking his knuckles loudly "very well, Champion."   
Shiro sprinted towards Sendak, and avoided a first kick. He knew the General was vicious and expected anything. But Shiro was faster, and managed to hit Sendak in the jaw, then behind the knee. He huffed in pleasure, seeing the enemy on the ground. He made the mistake to lower his guard, for a split second. And Sendak took his chance. Punched him in the gut, hard enough to send Shiro flying several feet backwards. And even if Shiro managed to land, he was getting dizzy and nauseous. For a moment he cursed himself. But Sendak was rushing towards him, he had no time to rest. He got back on his feet, ready for more... 

When a hand grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up. Then Shiro was unceremoniously thrown into the Jeep stolen by Ulaz and Thace.   
"Nice distraction," Thace chuckled.   
"More like stupid way to get killed right before escaping, Shirogane," Ulaz sighed. 

Shiro looked behind him, and saw the door closing on an enraged Sendak, screaming his frustration at the car.   
"Thanks," Shiro said with a sigh.   
"Next time, I'll precise that fighting the General on your own isn't what I call an 'absolute necessity'. You almost got beaten."   
"Almost? Ulaz, did you see that blow? I'll be surprized if Shiro doesn't have any broken ribs!" "That's the price you pay for biting more than you can chew."   
"I could've get him," Shiro objected.   
Ulaz and Thace shared a look, and Thace patted him on the shoulder. "Ah, youth." 

They took turn driving until the next safe area, where they set the Jeep on fire. Then they stole a car at the nearest parking lot, and went back on the road. Ulaz and Thace spent time discussing about the next step. Meanwhile, Shiro reached out to Black again.

The Lion helped him recover from his wound, while keeping his mind busy with vision of the past. Black knew about the others. "Why did you never tell me about them before?"   
You weren't ready. Wanted to fight alone.  
Shiro huffed at that. 

"I didn't hear you complain."   
I appreciate your spirit. Resilient survivors make good leader.  
He rolled his eyes at that. Black had that really upsetting way to assert things as if he saw them coming ages before Shiro even got a glimpse of it. Felt like a baby being nursed by a very old hermit. And sometimes it was amusing. But when Black used it to hide the truth about the man haunting Shiro's ancestors (and now his dreams too), he was less compliant.   
"You still could've told me."   
Would you have listened?

And that hit a nerve. Shiro never wanted to rely on anyone. In the past, people pitied him for being sick. "Your body will weaken and eventually you won't be able to move anymore." He was training to be astronaut when the illness began to eat him from the inside.   
Doctors said he was doomed. But then his grandmother, refusing to lose her only grandchild, gave him the Black Orb, hoping the entity sealed inside could cure Shiro. And against all odds, it did. But with the Orb came the knowledge of his Assassin legacy.   
And he couldn't turn his back to that. Shortly after his recovery, his grandparents introduced him to the Brotherhood. But old habits die hard, and Shiro refused to be treated with pity. So he worked alone, despite having obvious talents for leadership. But he refused.   
He had been too proud. Went alone on a mission, pressed by time. It was a one time occasion to cut down the Order's General and Shiro saw a chance to prove that he didn't need anyone. And he was wrong. Not only was he captured, but the infamous scientist Haggar learned about his miraculous recovery. And Sendak had dedicated himself to breaking Shiro's mind. Trapped in their clutches, Shiro slowly gave up the thought of being able to get out of there one day. Until Ulaz and Thace came. But it took him to be at the bottom of the abyss to finally accept his own limits. So maybe, maybe, Black wasn't wrong by saying that he wouldn't have listened if Black asked him to look for the other guardians to help him. He grumbled something about pesky old lion, and Black purred in his mind. 

I knew one day you would come around. All you needed was a good reason.  
"Right. So you totally knew about this man that had crossed path with several of my ancestors and you just knew he'd be the reason I finally listen to you?"  
But aren't you listening now?

And Shiro could swear that he saw a grin on the lion's face. He huffed.   
"You haven't been saying much about it, though."   
Yet. Patience, Takashi. All will be revealed in due time.  
Shiro rolled his eyes. "Wow, you won't win any originality point with that one," he chuckled. 

He heard the soft rumble before Black faded in the void. Shiro stayed in the astral plane for a moment, wondering about the mysterious man his ancestors have been looking for.   
"How many times are we gonna do this before this is over?"   
"As many times as it takes." 

Shiro woke up in a jolt, panting. The voice still echoing in his mind. It hadn't been Black. Meaning someone else was in the astral plane with him. Shiro felt something tightened in his chest. As if he missed something again. 

But somewhere in his mind, the certainty he would find that missing piece soon. 

Somewhere else, a pair of purple eyes opened.   
"I found you. "

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!  
> Again, comments are always appreciated ;)  
> Byyyyye!


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